PARIS—A proposed national bill intended to combat gender-based and sexual violence in the French Republic could drastically expand pimping and procurement measures online to potentially cover direct-to-consumer adult entertainment platforms, including OnlyFans, MYM, LoyalFans and Fansly. Such a move could effectively destroy the French porn market.
Several members of the Assemblée Nationale, the lower chamber of France's bicameral parliament, initiated debate this week on the sweeping measure that is being interpreted as a potential de facto ban on such websites. The legislation, which currently has around 69 articles and is said to be directly inspired by input from victims and survivors, is championed by a multipartisan team of feminist lawmakers led by Céline Thiébault-Martinez, MP, a member of the Socialist Party. Numerous stakeholder organizations also back the legislation.
As the French-language news outlet Le Monde notes, Article 25 of the bill is explicitly pointed at online platforms. Article 25 would criminalize "helping, assisting, or protecting the remote performance by a person … of acts of a sexual nature in exchange for payment." The bill also punishes anyone who is "acting as an intermediary knowing [the] nature of the service," between the sellers and buyers of online sexual content. Violators could face prison time and a fine of about €500,000 (roughly $573,000).
Sanctions against consumers who violate the bill would start with fines of up to €1,500 (roughly $1,700) and up to €3,000 (roughly $3,440) for repeat violations. "This article applies when the remuneration is provided directly by the perpetrator or by a third party, or when it constitutes a determining condition of the performance of the sexual act," the bill reads.
Similar attempts at creating a law like this have been made elsewhere in the European Union. For example, in 2025, the unicameral Riksdag, Sweden's Parliament, adopted a law that criminalizes the purchase of "remote" online sexual services. The proposal goes as far as criminalizing the purchase of "remote" sexual acts, potentially upending the entire Swedish market for content creator platforms like OnlyFans. In fact, OnlyFans is mentioned throughout the law. While the French bill doesn't explicitly name any one company, it is very broad.
Corey Silverstein, an adult entertainment industry attorney, explained to AVN that this sort of law is problematic by its very nature. Silverstein explained, "Preventing sexual violence and exploitation is essential, but legislation must distinguish abuse from consensual adult expression.
"As described, this proposal risks criminalizing adults who create sexual content voluntarily and the services that support their work," he continued. "Broad, poorly defined criminal prohibitions can push creators into less transparent environments and make exploitation harder to detect. Lawmakers should focus on coercion, trafficking and child protection, with clear legal standards and meaningful input from the people whose safety and livelihoods are at stake.”
Fuente: avn.com
